I modified the rudder on my TI by removing a bolt and using a 1/4 inch nylon bolt to hold the rudder in place. Makes steering a breeze.

The test came yesterday when I snagged an underwater line and the 1/4 inch nylon bolt broke in half releasing the rudder without any damage. It was then a simple matter of locking the down haul for the rudder in the jam cleat and heading for a shallow spot where I could get out and put another one in.

I have been worried about tearing up the back of my boat everytime I bolt the rudder in place so I just wanted to let people know it breaks when it needs to.

No this is where you remove one of the bolts that hold the rudder on then drill a 1/4 inch hole through it and the bracket behind it while holding the rudder down and in place. Then when you go sailing you manually pull the rudder down and fasten a 1/4 inch nylon bolt through it using a wing nut to hold it in place.

Jerry, good to know. I am still using this fix, works well. The past few times I have only used the normal up/down controls and they have worked fine as well. Then again winds have been light to moderate. If I know the winds are going to be over 15 mph I will use the lock down mod.

Thanks for the update dosjers. I have to say I'm quite impressed with Akathritis, you, and few others that have diagnosed this problem and worked out a good temporary solution until Hobie finds a permanent fix. It's teamwork and communication from great people that are keeping us in the water at this point. Thanks to all of you!

Ah, ok, pretty cool, glad it works, but I agree with the other comments, a good temporary fix, but seems like a PITA. Maybe not too bad on the TI, but kind of annoying to lay back there and put it in on an AI.

It is a big PITA but it radically changes the feel of the steering. On my boat you really have to put a lot of pressure on the down line when you lock it in to keep the rudder in place. When you do this the rudder is much harder to move and it has weird spots where it doesn't want to stay. With the bolt in it's like a diferent boat. I can let go of the rudder control and it just stays where I left it and the boat keeps sailing nicely.

Don't get me wrong, I consider this strictly a temporary fix until Hobie comes out with a permanant one. Last thing I read on the Forum is that they are probably going to announce something this week.

Hopefully Hobie will then take notice of the 'lockable' rudder idea and incorporate a new remote ability (as mentioned in other threads) since it clearly improves rudder control and position by not having to cleat the downline. Interesting results everyone... keep us posted!